


Mr. Potter-Malfoy

by Hippiebuckydrarry



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom
Genre: Arranged Marriage, Bottom Draco, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-12
Updated: 2017-06-12
Packaged: 2018-11-13 11:24:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11184105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hippiebuckydrarry/pseuds/Hippiebuckydrarry
Summary: Draco needs to marry in order to keep his fortune and his home. Harry Potter becomes Goyle's tool for revenge and is forced to marry Draco.





	Mr. Potter-Malfoy

**Author's Note:**

> This was betad by my good friend Ryan, however any mistakes you find are totally and completely my own. There are mentions of past abuse but the worst it gets is a few punches/kicks and a couple crucio's. The warning is just there to let you lovely readers know what you are getting into. I appreciate comments! Thanks for reading!  
> Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, they belong to J. K. Rowling. This work is meant to entertain only, I am making no money from this.

"Mr. Malfoy you are late." The short man behind the desk drawled.  
"My apologies, Phineas you know how Pansy gets once she gets started." I said, undoing the silver fastening on my cloak and draping it over the back of the chair. I drop into it and push a stray wisp of blond hair back from my face. It’s a dreary fall afternoon and the wind that kicked up between the buildings was chilling.  
"That woman is not my concern." Phineas said peering at me over the top of his glasses. He pushes them up and sighs heavily. "We need to go over the will, I have another very important client coming in half an hour and I will not keep him waiting." I roll my eyes, Phineas manages the affairs of nearly all the wealthy wizarding families in the country and refers to all of his clients as very important. But I nod, and wait for him to continue. My father’s will has finally been reviewed nearly a year after his death. I already know what it entails and don’t see the need for the stupid meeting. Phineas clears his throat and holds up the parchment, which is curling slightly on the ends.  
"To my wife's sister Andromeda Tonks and her grandson, Teddy Lupin I leave our town house in London, and my estate will fund all of the child’s school books for his seven years at Hogwarts. To my son Draco, I leave Malfoy Manor, which includes all of its furnishing and the house-elf employed at the time of my death. I also leave him the contents of the Malfoy and Lestrange vaults at Gringotts. However, should my son not be married at the time of my death, he has one year after the date of my demise to marry, or he loses the fortune and the Manor. Signed Lucius Malfoy." Phineas, unsurprised by this flips the parchment toward me and offered a quill. "Sign on the line sir." He says.  
"Wait wait!" I cry, snatching the parchment and leaping up. Its dear old daddy's handwriting all right and his signature is big and bold on the bottom, along with Andromeda’s and Phineas’. It was authorized and official. "Phineas this cannot be right! My father can’t just make me marry can he?!" I cried. Phineas sighed and cast a weary glance at the clock above his fire place.  
"Yes, Mr. Malfoy, he can. It was very popular in the old days to ensure that sons married pureblood families, and the threat of losing a particular way of life and all the money makes the marriage move faster. It isn’t done much anymore but your father has, for reason’s he did not share, done it. Its legal and binding if you sign or not." Phineas said. I scowled and stared down at the will. There was a foot note after the sentence declaring my marriage. I scanned the footnote.  
"It says that there is a letter?" I asked. Phineas sighed and held out a letter, looking as though he had hoped I wouldn’t bring this up. 

Draco,

If you are reading this it means two things, one I am dead, and two you are angry about my wish for you to be married. This is not to further the pureblood line as I know you are gay. (I gasped and sank into the chair. How the hell did my dad know?!) I want you to find happiness, son. So I hope that you will find it and be able to share the Manor with someone who you care about. It may frustrate you now, but I believe this will help ensure your happiness and make sure that you do not end up alone and bitter, as I did.

Love,  
Father. 

I scowled at the letter, finding nothing of comfort from it. I rubbed my head and knew I was trapped. I would have to find someone willing to marry me in two months or I would find myself homeless and broke. I took the quill and signed the will, much to the surprise of Phineas. I stood and handed him the parchment.  
"We will check with you on the anniversary of your father’s death to see if you are married. Enjoy the rest of your day." He said. I glared at him, and swung my cloak around my neck. I walked quickly down the street hardly noticing where I was going. I needed to talk to Pansy, and maybe Aunt Andromeda. Maybe someone could just arrange a marriage for me. It wouldn’t be love, but my father had not said how long I had to remain married. I turned into a pub on a whim and ordered several shots of fire whiskey. Blasted Father.

 

A week later I was ready to bash my own skull in. Pansy, instead of finding a husband was already planning a wedding. "Pansy, I need a groom first!" I cried when she had flounced into the Manor that morning with bolts of cloth for new dress robes. She’d waved it off and was now looking at several different catering menus.  
"Pans, I don’t even have a man to marry yet. Finding a caterer is kind of pointless at the moment."  
"What about that guy you were sleeping with? Frank? What was his name?"  
"Tim, and no that ended a while ago. Besides he wasn’t marriage material."  
"Well what did your aunt say?" She demanded.  
"She would look for someone but she didn’t sound hopeful." I sighed and dropped my head to the table.  
"Too bad you aren’t straight." Pansy said, lighting a cigarette with her wand. I glared at her and then sighed.  
"You’re bi, why are you judging me." I snapped.  
"Because I’m dating someone." She said turning a page in her catering magazine.  
"Well if you know anyone desperate to get married in two months let me know." I said.  
"What about one of the Weasley’s?" Pansy asked around her cigarette.  
"I believe all of them are taken or straight."  
"What about Potter?" She asked after a long pause. My head snapped up and I glared at her.  
"No one has seen or heard from Potter in years and you know it. Not even the Granger-Weasleys." I snarled. Pansy chuckled.  
"That’s not a no. If someone found him would you marry him?" She asked, raising a brow.  
"Why?! Do you know where he is?" I demanded. She laughed and shook her head. "Then maybe but no one knows what happened to the Savior." I said angrily.  
After the war, life was different for many people. Potter was forced to still live in the spotlight even though the Dark Lord was finished. He dated Ginny Weasley for about two years and then they broke up. People still wanted to know what he was up to, so that damn Rita Skeeter woman cornered him and demanded to know what he was doing know. In a legendary outburst still talked about, he screamed he was bisexual and that he just wanted to be left the hell alone. He disapparated in the middle of the Leaky Cauldron and hasn’t been seen since. That was two years ago. No one knew where he was or what he was doing. Not even his best friends. I sighed, a part of me would always have that school boy crush on him, would always care about him, would always wonder where he was and what he was doing.  
Pansy had a caterer picked out as well as a florist when she left that night and with a weak promise to find a man for me. I tried to relax and trust that everything would work out. But I also didn’t really believe it would. 

* 

My shoes slapped on the pavement, the streetlights eerily reflected in the puddles from the earlier rain storm. My cloak covered my face and fluttered behind me as I ran. The buildings and shops were dark and the street was quiet. I veered into a nearby doorway and crouched low, listening over the sound of my pounding heart and labored breathing. There was a soft pop as someone apparated at the end of the street. I shrank further into the shadows. A laugh echoed down the dark street.  
"A game of hide and seek Potter? You know I’ll win!" A voice called. I couldn’t place the voice, but they had obviously recognized me. I sighed softly. Two years of solitude was apparently all I was going to get. "Come on out little Potty. I shan’t hurt you..... much." The figure chuckled and began to make its way down the street. I’d fled to Hungary, living in a small village where Voldemort had never been heard of. I was the only wizard and it had been lovely. The young women and men in this village and the surrounding ones had been very interested in the "lightning man" as they had called me. I bedded many of them and enjoyed the stories they shared and the things they were impressed by. I flew over the country side on my broom chasing snitches or just flying as hard as I could. I loved it. And now I leaned against the door and hoped whoever was coming ever closer would just leave me alone. Please, can’t I just continue to be a hermit here? I gripped my wand and listened.  
"Potter, the longer you make me wait the worse this is for you." The voice called. I weighed my options. I had three choices really, one: stay put and hope I wasn’t found. Two: force my way into the shop and hide inside and three: go fight the threat like the damn Savior should! I sighed. Fight was probably the better choice, get rid of the stupid arsehole so I could get on with my life. I gripped my wand and straightened up slowly. I took a deep breath, and took a moment to curse the shitty ass luck I got in life. Then I stepped into the pool of moonlight and glared down the quiet, peaceful street at the cloaked figure, who had paused when I appeared.  
"Ah, ickle Potty-kins shows his face, good thing too. I was getting bored." There was a flash of silvery blue light and everything went dark. 

When I regained consciousness, I was tied in a hard backed chair in a dimly lit room. My head was throbbing and my body ached. I had no idea where I was, or why I was here. I also didn’t have my wand. I was testing my restraints when a patronus burst into the room, the silvery tiger pranced around the room before stopping by a corner where a figure sat, shrouded by shadows.  
"The rumors are true. He is looking, but we only have until the end of the month. The time to move forward is now." Then the tiger vanished. There was a moment of silence and then the figure laughed. They stood and walked over to me.  
"We’ve got a plan for you, and you are gonna do everything we want you too. You know why?" He crooned as he stepped into the thin light I was seated under. I glared up at Gregory Goyle.  
"What do you want?" I spat. He laughed.  
"What else, revenge of course. You see, someone wronged me during the war and you, dear Potty are going to help me get back at him. But first we have to break you." He laughed again. "Crucio!" He cried. The blinding pain threatened to overtake me, but I refused to scream or cry out. The pain subsided and I could hear Goyle laughing. "You see, for this to work you have to comply of your own free will, imperius curses won’t work."  
"So, you’re going to torture me?" I snapped. Goyle grinned.  
"That and some hefty motivation." He said. He waved his wand and a shimmery image appeared. I gasped. The Burrow appeared, surrounded by its wild land and as I watched Molly came out to water the flowers.  
"What are you going to do to them?!" I snarled. Goyle grinned.  
"Nothing, as long as you listen and do what we say. Or else..." he said. He flicked his wand and the image disappeared. "So do we have a deal Potty?" He said laughing. I glared at him and didn’t say anything. Goyle chuckled. "I think you are going to do whatever we say."  
The next few days consisted of my own private hell. I was barely allowed any food or water, and one trip to the bathroom a day. I was beaten, crucioed, and tortured. By the end of three days (it could have been much more, I just saw the same four walls everyday) I was bruised and bloody and exhausted. It’s remarkable how after such a short amount of time I began to believe that this was it. The Savior reduced to Gregory Goyle's punching bag. I was threatened that if I fought back, the Weasley's and Hermione would be killed or tortured just like me, and I couldn’t allow that to happen. So I took it, the beatings (a shattered knee-cap from a blow with a metal pipe) and the pain because it didn’t matter if I died, no one cared about me anymore.  
I had assumed that this was the revenge Goyle spoke of, beating me bloody and hearing my screams had to be what he wanted, had to be the revenge for his parents or maybe the loss of the war. I didn’t know, he didn’t say and I figured he’d hit me until I died. But on my fourth or maybe fifth day there, Goyle walked into the room and grinned. "Congratulations are in order, Pottykins." He said happily. I glared at him. "You didn’t hear? You’re getting married!" Goyle exclaimed with an evil smile. I coughed feebly and grunted  
"To who? You are hardly a blushing bride. Tell me Goyle, how much did you have to pay a tailor to fit your fat arse into a wedding dress?" Goyle's fist collided with my stomach and I wheezed for a moment before leaning over and coughing blood onto the floor by my shoe.  
"If it were up to me, I’d kill you right now." He snarled, and then took a moment to compose himself. "You will be marrying the man I want revenge on. Once you are wed, you will give all of his money to us and kill him, making it seem like you did it. The Aurors will chase you and kill you and I can go be rich somewhere else!" He grinned. I swallowed. This wasn’t good.  
"And remember, dear Potty, if you tell anyone after your wedding, if you fail to deliver the money and the body, the precious adopted family of yours will be dead before anyone can find us." He punched me hard again and strode out of the room. I hung my head in despair, whoever the poor sap was I was apparently engaged to, he was doomed. 

*

"I beg your pardon, you did what?" I demanded rubbing the back of my neck. Pansy rolled her eyes.  
"I found your husband. I met a man who was looking to arrange a marriage for his friend and said that the friend wished to remain anonymous until the wedding day." She said, flapping a hand at me.  
"And you agreed?!" I cried.  
"Of course, he showed me a picture and I know you’ll like him." She said with a mischievous grin. At my confused glance she added. “I could see who it was. I’m just not supposed to tell you. So relax. I think you would look dashing in green, oh but your hair looks amazing against black so maybe black dress robes?” I rubbed my face and tried to calm down.  
"Pans, you know I love you but an arranged marriage? To some guy I don’t know?" I said, exasperatedly. She sighed, swirled her martini, and crossed her legs elegantly.  
"Draco, darling." She purred. "It’s a quick ceremony at the ministry, sign some papers and shit. And then come back here, Blaise and I will come over and we will drink and then you can rip his clothes off." She winked at me and sipped her drink. "Has Phineas sent you the wedding contract yet?" She asked.  
I nodded. "Its utter bullshit but he did send them."  
"Draco! Language!" Pansy cried in mock outrage. I scowled at her.  
"They say that we have to reach our second wedding anniversary before he can get any of the money legally in a divorce, and we have to be married for longer than a year so that I keep all property and money. If we split before a year I have a year and half to find another husband or I lose all the money." I said sadly. Pansy nodded.  
"Smart. Alright, I’d best be off. Blaise and I are meeting for lunch. Don’t forget to try on your dress robes. Oh one more thing dear." She leaned over and pecked my cheek. "Your fiancé has had a rough couple of years so he walks with a cane and looks a little battered. Tah for now darling." And she disapparated. I scowled. A battered fiancé?! What the hell had I gotten myself into?! 

The morning of my wedding I woke to Pansy and Blaise bursting into my room and dragging me out of bed. I was shoved into the bathroom with strict instructions to not put all that "shit in your hair that makes you look like you’re twelve" (Blaise’s words not mine). I took a hot shower and then wrapped myself in a towel and stepped into the room where I was immediately swarmed by Blaise and Pansy. Blaise helped me dress in the fancy black dress robes Pansy had picked out, making sure they fell properly over my slim frame. Pansy combed my hair and fussed with it for nearly an hour. She finally settled for tying it back at the base of my skull, and brushing it so that it was silky soft. She pinned a Malfoy crest to the chest of my robes. And then turned me around a couple times.  
"Blaise dear, your shag him right?" She asked twisting a finger through her short black hair. Blaise rolled his eyes.  
"Darling I wouldn’t shag him because I’m shagging you but I’m sure the new Mr. Malfoy will want to." He said laughing.  
"Merlin’s beard! Is that the time?! We are gonna be late, let’s go!" Pansy shrieked grabbing my hand so we could all apparate together. 

*

Two months, I spent two fucking months in that hell hole. The day I left, Goyle came storming in and pointed his wand at the bonds tying me to the chair. He hauled me up and threw some robes at me. I tried to catch them but was weak and my leg had never healed properly so I fell. Goyle sighed.  
"Get up. Its wedding day whore. Crucio!" He cried. I writhed on the ground, feeling the white hot knives of the spell cut my skin. He lifted the spell and I scrabbled up before shrugging into the dress robes. They were green and fit pretty well considering. Goyle tossed me a cane that I leaned on heavily. Goyle looked me up and down.  
"You look like shit Potty." He lifted his wand and I flinched. He laughed and cast a quick cleaning charm. My whole body felt better and I stared at him warily. "If he refuses to marry you then you become useless to me. So I need him to marry you so I can get my money." He sighed. "Now remember, your precious Weasleys lives depend on it." Then he grabbed my arm and hauled me onto the street. I blinked into the sunlight and coughed as the fresh air hit my lungs. Goyle shoved me into the back of a black town car and we headed off. I shouldn’t have been surprised to find myself in London, but I was surprised to find myself pulling up to the ministry.  
"Remember, no fucking this up or there will be hell to pay." I struggled out of the car and pulled the cloak he’d thrown at me tighter around me and pulled the hood up so no one would recognize me. I walked to the marriage office and sighed. The welcome witch had been surprised to see me but hadn’t said anything. Everything hurt and I was scared, much as I wished otherwise. I entered the office, and realized I didn’t even have a name to give to find my fiancé. Just then I heard a shriek.  
"Oh thank goodness!" And woman cried racing down a hall way to my left and grabbed me so I hobbled after her. We entered a small office at the end of the hall and Blaise Zabini looked up at me.  
"This him?" He demanded. The woman nodded and yanked my cloak off. She shrieked at the sight of me.  
"Merlin's tits, Harry Potter what the hell happened to you?" Blaise asked. I sighed.  
"I don’t have the slighted desire to talk about it. Which one of you am I marrying? Because honestly Ms. Parkinson I am not the hugest fan of vagina." I said leaning on the cane as my leg shook from supporting my weight for so long.  
"Oh, your fiancé is in the next room. We are the witnesses. But Potter, are you sure you can do this? You can barely stand." She reached out to me. I swatted her away.  
"I need this. I have no choice." I said sadly. She exchanged a look with Blaise and then sighed.  
"Alright." She opened the door to her right and poked her head into the other room. "He’s here, we can proceed." She turned and straightened my robes, then adjusted her cleavage in the red cocktail dress she was squeezed into. Then she took Blaise’s hand and shoved him into the next room. She turned back to me. "I’m gonna go out there and make sure the other groom is still present. Come out whenever you are ready and we will get started." She opened the door and swept into the next room. I sighed and sank into a chair. My fucking knee was throbbing. After Goyle broke it he left it for three weeks before using a healing charm on it. Which had repaired what hadn’t already healed but it hadn’t healed correctly. I pushed a hand through my messy hair. It was now or never. And some small part of me whispered maybe my husband could help. Maybe there was a way out. 

*

Pansy clicked across the room to me, after telling us the groom had arrived. She reached up and whispered  
"He’s in bad shape. He looks really rough but he said he was willing." She adjusted her boobs in her dress. I raised an eyebrow at her and was about to yell stop when the door opened. A man with long black hair and sweeping green robes stepped out. He turned and closed the door. He was leaning on a cane, with a gold eagle head as the handle. He was shorter than me by a few inches and seemed to radiate neglect and hurt. I involuntarily took a step forwards, my arm out stretched to catch him maybe, when his head snapped up. I gasped. His emerald eyes apprised me behind dirty glasses. His once handsome face was shrunken as though he hadn’t eaten in ages, and his eyes had a hard cold quality to them that spoke of pain. He looked terrible, like he’d been recently beaten and as though a kind hand never came his way. Harry Potter was my soon to be husband. Of course. He laughed, a cold hard sound that grated in my ears.  
"Harry." I said softly. He limped over to stand in front of the ministry official.  
"Draco." He said. "This makes so much more sense."  
"Pardon?" I asked softly, afraid of him and what horrible things had happened to him.  
"Nothing. I’m ready when you are." He said to the official.  
"Wait, wait!" I cried. "Harry, you don’t have to do this." He glared at me  
"Yes I do. I have my reasons but I need this like you do." He said evenly.  
I sighed, remembering how stubborn he could be. So, against my better judgement I nodded at the official.  
"Are these your witnesses?" The official asked. I nodded. "Alright. Draco Malfoy, do you take Harry Potter as your husband, in sickness in health, in all situations good and bad, and until death separates you?"  
"I do."  
"And do you Harry Potter, take Draco Malfoy to be your husband, in sickness and health, in all situations good and bad, and until death separates you?"  
"I do."  
"Please sign the contract. Will you be taking a particular last name or maybe a hyphened name?" The official asked. I glanced at Harry. He had a look of pain on his face and was leaning heavily on his cane. "Potter-Malfoy." I said. The official waved their wand and the names changed on the contract. "By signing you both agree to the terms of the marriage contract, that Harry in an event of a divorce or death of Draco before the second anniversary of your wedding you have no legal claim to the Malfoy Manor or the money. And Draco, a divorce before your first marriage anniversary means you have a year and half to find a new spouse in order to secure your fortune. If you both agree sign your names on the lines." I signed first and passed the paper to Harry. He signed without comment and handed the paper to the official.  
"Congratulations Mr. and Mr. Potter-Malfoy." And with that the official left. Pansy and Blaise smiled and suggested we apparate to the Manor. When we arrived Harry sank into a chair and massaged his knee absentmindedly.  
I watched him all the rest of the day. He was civil and polite but never smiled, nor did the pain leave his eyes. He remained seated all day and I found myself casting him worried glances as the day wore on. Pansy had ordered some expensive food from an Italian place in London and we ate in the upstairs Parlor because the dining room felt too large for four of us. We all carefully avoided asking about what horrible thing had happened to him. Though I desperately wanted to know what it was. Pansy and Blaise took their leave when Pansy began to drunkenly tell Harry about my ramblings back at school.  
“I know that this is not ideal.” I said softly after they had left and we lapsed into silence. “I um, I can make up a spare bedroom right now, but I don’t know where the house elf, Milly, keeps the fresh linens. So we will have to share for tonight. I um… I’m not expecting anything, you know sex wise.” I finished lamely. Harry chuckled darkly.  
“Alright, whatever is easiest.” He said.  
“I would call Milly but she gets the evenings off, and I don’t wish to disturb her.”  
He nodded and shifted in his chair.  
“If you don’t mind I would like a shower and to sleep.” He whispered.  
“Oh! Of course. The bedrooms are mostly on the third floor. Can you manage?” I asked hesitantly. He nodded again and heaved himself out of the chair. We climbed to the third floor slowly he was clutching the railing and needed a rest half way up. I hurried ahead to get the room ready and to compose myself. When he came limping into the room I had turned down the bed and was looking for my closet.  
“I noticed you didn’t have any belongings when you came here so you can borrow some of mine.” I said raising a pair of flannel pajama pants and an old muggle t-shirt. “I’ll put these in the bathroom along with a fresh tooth brush.”  
He limped into the large bathroom after me and nodded as I left. I changed into my own pajamas while he used the bathroom and then waited for him to come out.  
“I don’t have a preferred side of the bed. You can take whatever one you like.” I said on my way into the bathroom. I brushed my teeth, and undid my hair before brushing it out slowly. I stared at my reflection, the healthy way my hair shone, the healthy glow to my skin and the way my grey eyes didn’t hold depths of pain. I sighed and splashed water on my face. How was it that Draco Malfoy looked better than the great Harry Potter? It was hardly fair.  
When I stepped out of the bathroom, Harry was lying in bed facing the bathroom, eyes closed. I sighed again and walked around to the other side of the bed.  
Harry barely slept that night. I woke up several times to find him tossing and turning. I didn’t know what to do for him until early the next morning, I’d gotten up to go work on a potion to relax and was now hunched over a cauldron in the greenhouse where I kept all my potions things. Malfoy Manor is bit excessive for just one person and I’d converted many of the rooms and outbuildings so they had practical purposes. This green house is where I brew potions, the next one is for the exotic flowers my mother used to collect, and the last one has vegetables growing in it. Milly tends to that one as well as the flowers since my mother died but I never asked her to clean up in here. It’s my mess after all.  
I checked back with the potions book, (101 Potions to Ovoid the Doctor: a collection of draughts to aid small health problems) and added the last few ingredients before stirring the potion 30 times clockwise, every 7 1/2 turns adding a figure eight swirl. When the potion turned the desired blue color, I waved my wand and it poured itself into several small bottles that then arranged themselves in a wooden crate so I could carry it back to the house. I watered the plants growing in here, and checked through some more potion books to see if there was anything else I wanted to make. I loved brewing potions, the different colored steams that swirled through the room, the fussy steps needed to make the potion perfect, the crazy ingredients that needed to be assembled, and the wonderful ways they could help people. I could make Harry a sleeping draught maybe but they could be addictive and they took forever to make.  
I decided to go back to the house instead of brewing more and see about breakfast. I picked up the crate with the blue potion and balanced it on my hip, then I turned off the light in the green house and locked the door. I set off across the lawn toward the back of the Manor. The sun was just starting to reach its fingers over the mountains in the east to pull itself into the sky. I shivered slightly in the early morning chill and wished for my cloak briefly. I loved watching the sunrise though, especially from the back garden. When He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had taken up residence in our house I would wake up extremely early every morning. I barely slept back then, there were always screams and barbaric people running through the house at odd hours. I used to come out and sit by the run down greenhouses, wrapped in a huge blanket or cloak, and watch the sun come up. I would watch the woods that surrounded our property and pretend I was the first one in the world to feel the sun’s rays. Now I shifted the crate, the bottles tinkling slightly and closed my eyes, breathing in the scent of the dew and the woods.  
“Master Draco! Why is you standing in the yard?” Milly called from the back door, shaking me from my reminiscing.  
“Sorry Milly, I was making a potion for Harry and then got distracted by the sunrise.” I called and headed back to the house. Milly followed me down the hall to the kitchen, where I set the crate on the small square table that I used when I didn’t have company.  
“What potion is Master Draco making for Harry Potter?” She squeaked, looking wary. I laughed.  
“Something to help his knee.” I answered before going to the pantry and rummaging around for something to eat. “Milly could you please make some pancakes for breakfast?” I asked.  
“Certainly, Master Draco, I is happy to make pancakes.” She began getting out the pan and ingredients. I went to the table and sat down, just in time for the Daily Prophet owl to swoop in through the open window and land in front of me. I paid the owl, and unfurled the paper. Milly hummed a melody I didn’t recognize as she cooked, and I opened the paper, smoothing out the wrinkles so I could read whatever the idiot reporters had shared today.  
We heard the clunk of his cane and his heavy footsteps before we saw him. I folded the paper and Milly quickly set two plates of pancakes down. She had just finished placing the syrup, dish of butter, and blueberries on the table when Harry entered the room.  
“Good Morning Master Harry, is you wanting orange juice or maybe tea?” Milly squeaked, rushing over to help Harry into his chair. He blinked at her.  
“What teas do you have?” He croaked. He cleared his throat. “Or do you just have black tea?” he asked, his voice sounding clearer.  
“Milly is having herbal tea, green tea, and black tea.”  
“Green tea would be lovely, with maybe some honey and sugar?” He asked. Milly grinned.  
“Master Draco is always having water or orange juice, which is no fun for Milly to make, no sir.” The house elf squeaked, happily bustling around to make the tea. She set a steaming mug in front of him and handed me a tall glass of orange juice. I smirked at the mug she'd given Harry, it was large and green with the words Slytherin Quidditch printed in large silver letters on the front. Harry didn’t notice he just wrapped his hand around the mug and inhaled the steam slowly.  
"Thank you Milly." He said gruffly.  
"Is you needing anything else for your pancakes sir? Master Draco like syrup and blueberries on his." Milly said with a fond smile my way. Harry glanced at me and scratched at his chin. A short beard covered his chin, and I found myself staring at it, noticing that it made him look ruggedly handsome, in spite of the bruise splayed across his cheek.  
"Blueberries and syrup is fine. Thank you." Milly smiled and hurried out of the room, feather duster in hand. I reached for the syrup and prepared my pancakes. Harry waited until I was done and then reached for the syrup and drizzled a small amount over his stack of pancakes.  
"Which knee is it?" I asked abruptly. Harry froze and stared at me. He finished chewing slowly and swallowed. He took a swig of his tea and then sighed.  
"My left." He said softly.  
"And...And how did it happen?" I asked. I instantly regretted it. Several emotions flashed across his face. Pain, anger, fear, and sorrow so deep I felt my heart clench. And then it was gone. His face settled back into the bitter mask id seen since yesterday night.  
"I had a... accident that I prefer not to discuss." He growled. I nodded and sighed. We ate in silence for a few moments. Then I reached over and dragged the crate with the potion over.  
"This is for you. It’s a pain potion. Each bottle is one serving, you can have one every twelve hours and when you get low I can make more." I said turning back to my paper and eating my pancakes. But Harry remained motionless across the table. Gingerly he reached into the crate after several minutes and withdrew a bottle. The turquoise liquid seemed to dance in the bottle as it caught the sunlight. He stared at it with a strange emotion on his face.  
"You... you made this for me?" He whispered. I jerked my head up and stared at him.  
"Of course. You were up all night. I can tell it hurts you." I replied. He gaped at me for a moment and then his eyes narrowed.  
"You aren’t trying to poison me are you?" He said warily. I laughed.  
"No, Mr. Potter-Malfoy you are safe for another year until I can legally get all my money." I teased. Harry sighed and I saw panic flash in his eyes for a moment before they became as hard as the emeralds they so looked like. "It was a joke. It is supposed to taste like your favorite food or drink and it’s the strongest pain potion I can make that won’t knock you out. It’s also not addictive."  
He gingerly took the cork out of the bottle and sniffed deeply. Then he took a deep breath and downed the whole bottle in one long drink. He corked the bottle and set it on the table.  
"Thank you. It tasted like butter beer." He said simply. We finished eating in silence.  
"Well, you don’t have any decent clothes and any husband of mine real or not has to present himself like he knows how to be a member of society." I quipped as I swung a traveling cloak around my shoulders and fixed my hair in the mirror above the fireplace in our ball room. "The Malfoys may have lost everything in the war but my fashion sense, dignity, and sense of propriety have remained intact. So I thought we could stop by Madam Malkins, you need robes, and then the book store because I need another potion book for an order I’ve got, and then maybe a clothes shop in muggle London so you can get some muggle clothes." Harry just shrugged in agreement. I threw a pinch of powder in the flames and stepped in, shouting Madam Malkins. I stepped out into the robe shop and waited for Harry to stumble out behind me. I reached out and caught him helping him straighten, as he tumbled out.  
"Draco darling!" The madam her self-called bustling over to me. "What can I help you with?"  
"Good morning. My husband here needs some robes." I said pulling Harry up next to me. He looked down at his shoes as she gaped at him, shifting his weight on to his right leg.  
"Well, let’s get started. Don’t worry Harry dear, I won’t have you stand long." She said. She helped him on to the podium and fitted a pair of black robes around him.  
"What do you do, dear? We have an excellent selection of business robes." She asked. Harry hesitated.  
"I uh went abroad for a while and was living off of my parent’s fortune. I am between jobs I guess." He said.  
"Well we will get you a set of business robes just in case dearie. Although I dare say you’ve got yourself a marvelous bread winner for a husband so you needn’t work dear." She said smiling. But Harrys face turned hard.  
"I would like to contribute. I am not helpless, I don’t need someone to win bread for me." He snapped. Madam Malkin looked surprised, then nodded and waved her hand at a measuring tape on the floor. The measuring tape flitted around, measuring Harry's arms legs and back.  
When we left an hour later Harry had a set of green dress robes, grey work robes, and three sets of casual robes in black and grey. Harry had gotten angry when I had paid for them but I’d insisted. Now we headed to the book store. People kept nodding at me as we walked and gaping at him.  
"What is it you do?" He asked sinking into an arm chair at the end of the potion book isle in the shop, where it was nice and quiet.  
"I work at the apothecary two shops down. I brew potions for them and fill orders for people who haven’t the time to make the potions for themselves or who are shit at potion making." I said scanning the shelves. "I’d like to own my own apothecary someday but with my name... well let’s just say the people who get the potions I brew now don’t know who made them. They get a tag that says made with care at Xeno's Apothecary." I chuckled and stretched up to brush my fingers along the spines of some books. "Xeno's has a recipe for this cleaning potion but it seems kind of toxic, I’d like to find a more natural one." I said distractedly. Harry leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes.  
"How’s your knee?" I asked flipping through a book of cleaning spells and potions.  
"Fine. Just stiff. Your pain potion did wonders." He said softly. I smiled.  
"This will do the trick. Anything you’d like?" I asked holding up my book. He shrugged.  
"No thank you. “He said struggling to his feet. I had to resist the urge to help him up. We stood in the checkout line waiting for the man to finish wrapping up a witch's many cooking books. When she was done I stepped up to the register, and I noticed a sign on the counter.  
"You’re hiring?" I asked. The weary clerk nodded.  
"Harry what about working here?" I asked. Harry was leaning heavily on the counter, he glanced at the sign and then back at the old man behind the counter.  
"I’ve got a bum knee. I need a cane to walk and I am kinda on the slow side but I’d love to work here." He said slowly. The old man’s face lit up and crinkled in a giant smile.  
"You’re hired! Can you start Monday?!" He asked. Harry smiled.  
"Yes, Draco and I can come together." The old man grinned.  
"Wonderful, my name is Franklin, we open at 8 and are open until 9pm. But I don’t need much help after 6. Does 8 to 6 work for you? With an hour off for lunch?" Franklin said.  
"Yes."  
"Wonderful, you can run the register where you can sit most of the day if you’d like." He said eagerly. Harry smiled and nodded. They shook hands and with a promise to see him at 8 Monday morning we left.  
We opted to skip the muggle tailor and headed home.  
*  
Malfoy had changed, that much was painfully obvious. He was generous and fun. He had friends where he worked who always took us to lunch at one place or another during our lunch breaks. He had moved his so it lined up with mine and we ate together almost every day. He always paid for my lunch and insisted I save my money from the book shop for myself. He laughed easily and often. He was still pretentious and cared an awful lot about his appearance and more than once had run upstairs before we left to get me a comb. A month of marriage passed this way. We fell into an easy routine, eating all meals together but sleeping in separate rooms. He had put sheets on a spare bed in one of the rooms with an adjoining bathroom. I worked and so did he and his friends became my friends. Pansy and Blaise were funny if very Slytherin at times. And Franklin was an amusing old man who could skitter up the ladders to fetch a book so fast I was mildly concerned he would fall and break something. But he loved being able to hunt down books while I rang up the customers and he smiled almost constantly. Business was good and I found myself lulled into a state of almost relaxation. Which is why when Goyle appeared in the Leaky Cauldron during my lunch break one day I almost passed out. I was squashed into a booth at the back of the pub with Draco, and Blaise who worked at Gringots. Pansy was supposed to be joining us at any moment. I had glanced up over my bottle of butter beer and saw him leaning against the bar. He sneered at me from beneath his hat and jerked his head to indicate I was to join him. I swallowed and glanced at Draco.  
"Can I grab another round?" I asked. Draco smiled and nodded. I stood and limped to the bar.  
"Another round." I told Tom who grinned. I sighed. "What do you want?"  
"Ah Potty. Actually I hear your husband is adamant about you calling yourself Potty-Malfoy. How is married life? Your husband good in bed?" Goyle said with an evil grin. I scowled and didn’t answer. "I’ll make this quick cause I know you need to get back. We heard about your little pre-nup. But I want my money now. So here’s what’s gonna happen." Goyle said twirling his glass of fire whiskey around before downing it. "You are going to ask your husband for a weekly allowance which you will put in this book." He said holding a volume on ways to cure scale rot in an extinct breed of dragon. "Put it on the top shelf in the third aisle from the left, behind some books on cleaning. And if you don’t... well I hear Hermione Granger-Weasley is expecting a baby. Would be a shame if anything were to happen." Goyle sneered. He stood and slid the book over to me before leaving. I levitated the round of drinks to the table and collapsed into my chair tucking the book under my leg. Draco shot me a curious look but didn’t say anything. 

That night I shifted restlessly in my seat. Draco was reading in front of the fire and I was trying to focus on the paper. But I couldn’t stop thinking of Goyle and his very real threats. Hermione was expecting a baby. It was in the paper, accompanied by a picture of her and Ron laughing, with the caption "Predicted next minister of magic and her husband will welcome a baby next march. The pair hopes to reconcile with the estranged Boy Who Lived so that he can be a part of their child's life" I sighed. I couldn’t put them in more danger but I was sure they knew I was married.  
"Potter, if you won’t sit still and read, what is it you would like to do?" Draco said with a sigh.  
"I need to ask you something." I whispered staring at Ron and Hermione grinning at each other, every so often the picture Ron would pick up Hermione and spin her around making her laugh. Draco closed his book and set it aside to give me his full attention. I took a deep breath. And then a thought occurred to me. I could just give Goyle my paycheck. It wasn’t much but it was also more than I should be paid. I blew out a breath.  
"I’m thinking of uh donating my paycheck to a charity. Would that be alright with you?" I asked. Draco’s eyebrows shot up.  
"Of course, you don’t need my permission. I don’t own you harry." He said softly. I nodded and looked down at my paper again. 

The next day I slipped one week’s paycheck in the cut out in the book meant for the coins and put it on the shelf I was told to. A thin man came an hour later and retrieved the money. He nodded at me and disappeared into the street. I could feel the stress curl slowly in my stomach making my heart speed up and my breath hitch. If it stopped being enough Hermione's baby would die at my hands. 

*

Xeno's closed for a day in April because the owner was celebrating his wedding anniversary. Harry still had to work so I got up with him to see him off. Once he left I went and found Milly.  
"Milly, I would like to make Harry dinner tonight. I was thinking treacle tart and maybe a salad and some salmon with lemon. Do we have butter? And breadcrumbs?" I asked. Milly nodded.  
"Milly is going to get all of that. Have a nice day Master Draco." With a crack she was gone. I decided to do some cleaning in our bedrooms. This usually bothered Milly, she would follow me around saying things like "Why is Master Draco having a house elf if he is doing Milly's job for her!" But I hated making her work like this so I did it, besides there is something about the snap of clean sheets that I adored. I changed the sheets in my room and cleaned the bathroom. Then went to Harry's room.  
It was obvious Harry lived here, I kept my room tidy and always made my bed. But Harry's bed was unmade, the bathroom lights were on, and the curtains had been thrown open letting sunlight in. His room faced north, out to the grounds and overlooked the green houses. I pulled the sheets from his bed and put them in the hall to be laundered and then retrieved fresh yellow ones to put on his bed. I made up the bed and then cleaned his room, hanging up his robes and putting his shoes in the wardrobe. I cleaned the bathroom and then opened the window to let fresh air in. When I came out to the landing and closed his door I found Milly glaring at me from the landing.  
"Master Draco is doing a house elf's work. And Master Draco and Master Harry is not even sharing a bed the way married people should be doing." She scowled at me.  
"Milly, Harry and I are married in name only." I said. Milly scowled.  
"But Master Draco is loving Master Harry. I is knowing that Master Draco is loving Master Harry since school. My mother and sister is telling Milly all about it. Yes sir." She said angrily. I sighed.  
"Alright Milly, maybe I do love him but he doesn’t love me so we sleep in separate rooms." I said, giving up. Milly frowned and picked up the sheets before hurrying down the stairs.  
I sighed and debated what to do next. I decided to go down to the greenhouses and maybe work on some potions. I spent about an hour in my mother’s greenhouse tending to the flowers, and then went to my potions work shop brewing some cleaning draughts for the shop. Around 5:30 I headed inside to start dinner. I was so focused on the food that I didn’t realize Harry had come home until he and Milly were in the kitchen.  
"And then Master Draco changed the sheets and watered the flowers himself. Which is Milly's job!" Milly squeaked as she walked into the kitchen. Harry chuckled.  
"Well, sounds like you had a busy day." He said. Milly nodded and then shot me a dirty look before leaving to go clean something.  
Harry smiled and walked over to me.  
"I didn’t know you could cook." He said. I smiled and glanced at him.  
"It’s very similar to potions brewing but way less fussy." Harry chuckled and sat down at the table.  
"How was work?" I asked.  
"It was fine, pretty slow. Franklin almost fell off a ladder again." I chuckled again.  
"You must be pretty used to that by now." I said. Harry laughed.  
"Yeah. He’s fun though."  
I nodded and checked the fish in the oven. Harry got up to shower and so I set up a table in the sun room with candles and flowers. I brought the fish in, cast a light warming charm, and was just heading back to the kitchen when Harry came limping down the stairs holding the banister.  
"Hey, where’s your cane?" I asked.  
"I left it in my room." He said wearily.  
"Here, I’ve got you." I offered my arm. He raised an eye brow and then took it. I led him into the sun room and helped him sit.  
"Wow, I am under dressed for such a fancy dinner." He said, glancing down at his sweatpants and t-shirt. He was also barefoot. I thought he looked sexy as hell but I refrained from telling him that. Instead I said  
"You’re dressed fine. I just didn’t want to eat in the kitchen. We always eat in the kitchen." I said. He smiled and scooted his chair closer. I sat down and we started eating.  
"I always wished we had fish at Hogwarts. The Dursleys would eat it sometimes and I always wanted some." He said, chewing slowly.  
"The Dursleys?" I asked.  
"Oh yeah. My aunt and uncle. I went to them when my parents died. They hated me. I got barely half portions at meals and slept under the stairs for most of my time there." He said shrugging. I gaped at him. He swallowed and looked down.  
"Hogwarts became my home more than anywhere else had." He said softly.  
"I hope you consider here your home." I said, after a pause, gesturing around us. Harry smiled slightly.  
"I do." He said. I smiled back and kept eating.  
"I have a confession." He said. I raised my eyebrows. He laughed. "In second year Ron and I took Polyjuice potion to spy on you and find out if you were the heir of Slytherin." He said.  
"Wait what?" I gasped. "Whose hairs did you use?"  
"Crabbe and Goyle’s." He said. There was a little bit of bitterness on Goyle’s name. I laughed.  
"Oh Merlin, you didn’t!" I gasped. He laughed.  
"I did. And you were most unhelpful." He said. I chuckled and suddenly we were both roaring with laughter.  
"Hermione took a hair off Millicent and it turned out to be a cat hair. So she had ears and whiskers." He said laughing. I choked on my wine and ended up spitting it all over my plate, which made him roar with laughter.  
"We had fun, the three of us." He said somewhat sadly after our laughter had faded. I nodded.  
"I always envied you. You all looked like you were having so much fun and like you all would always fight for one another." I admitted.  
"Yeah. They meant a lot to me." He said softly. I nodded, knowing that he hadn’t spoken to them since we had married, maybe since before then.  
"I’m sorry for all the years I spent hating you." I whispered. His head snapped up and he gaped at me. "I was a pretentious little arse and I just wanted to be your friend. And then in sixth year. I shouldn’t have reacted so strongly and egged you on." I said.  
"I shouldn’t have cast the curse. I’m so sorry." He breathed. I nodded and looked at him.  
"The past is the past. Everything we did in our youth was silly and irrelevant. We aren’t those people anymore." I said. He raised his wine glass and we toasted. "I have something for you." I whispered. He looked at me curiously. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the small box. "My father’s lawyer sent these over a while ago. Apparently my mother picked them out with him before he died. I wasn’t sure I should give it to you, but it belongs to you." I slid the box over to him. He glanced at me in surprise and opened it. He gasped slowly and raised his eyes to mine. "That’s the one I thought suited you best." I said. He gently picked up the ring out of the box and slipped it on his ring finger. It was a gold band with a ring of silver in the middle twisting with a ring of a red stone of some kind. It was expensive looking but subtle and wasn’t too flashy.  
"I know we are just married in name only, but we didn’t have rings yet because it was so rushed and well..." I trailed off.  
"I appreciate it, thank you Draco. Do you have one? Can I see?" He said softly. I nodded and stretched my hand to him. Mine was the opposite of his, his was wide and gold, and mine was thin and silver, with a band of gold and green twisting delicately together. "They are like our house colors." He remarked. I smiled.  
"Yeah, sorry they are a bit much." I said twisting mine slightly. He grinned.  
"No, I like it." He said. I smiled and stood to fetch the treacle tart. We talked about mundane topics for the rest of the meal and I found myself laughing and joking with him. When we were done, I helped him rise from his chair and helped him up the stairs.  
"I don’t want to leave you with the dishes." He said when he stopped to catch his breath.  
"Oh don’t worry. Milly would kill me if I did more of her job today." Harry chuckled and we continued to the third floor.  
"Thank you for dinner." He said. I smiled.  
"Of course. I love to cook. Maybe this could be a regular thing?" I asked. Emotions flickered across his face.  
"Yeah, maybe. I’m really tired." He said. I nodded and helped him to his room.  
"Goodnight, Harry." I murmured. I paused for a moment and then leaned down and kissed him on the cheek briefly. "Sleep well." I whispered. He blinked at me in surprise before nodding, and stepping into his bedroom. I sighed and went to my room, cursing the fact that I was so stupid. 

*

Dinner with Draco like that became a regular thing, he insisted on cooking for me at least once a week. Sometimes we ate in the kitchen, sometimes the fancy dining room, and sometimes in the sun room with candles. Afterwards, he always helped me upstairs, even if I had the cane, but he never kissed me again. Which I found wildly frustrating and a relief all at the same time. I actually found myself looking forward to dinner. But we usually always ate with other people at lunch. About two months later while I was working, Pansy came sauntering into the shop and leaned on the counter. "Heya Harry." She said with a smile.  
"Hullo Pansy, what brings you in today? It can’t be the books." I said with a smile shifting my weight on the stool. She gasped in mock outrage.  
"I’ll have you know that I read quite a lot actually. And yes, Witch Weekly counts!" She said. I chuckled.  
"Whatever you say Parkinson. Were you picking up more beauty potions from Draco?" I asked.  
"Yes I was." She said smiling, and fluffing her short black hair. "Draco asked me to give you this note, and darling do come in for a haircut alright?" She said handing me the note and flouncing out. Pansy owned a hair salon on the other end of Diagon Alley and was known for giving amazing haircuts. She’d been pestering me to get one since I married Draco, saying that she owed me because of what happened our seventh year. I chuckled and picked up the note. 

Harry, 

I am brewing a very fussy potion that I can’t leave for lunch. However, I did have the Leaky bring over some food and if you’d like to join me in my workshop for lunch I would greatly enjoy the company. 

-Draco

I thought for a moment and then stood.  
"Franklin, I’m headed to lunch!" I called. I heard a faint reply from back among the books and headed outside. It was chilly out and I breathed deeply. Rain was coming and my knee ached. I sighed and limped down the street toward Xeno's Apothecary. I opened the door to the shop and walked inside. It smelled earthy and was decorated in dark wood with flickering sconces along the wall. A plump witch was organizing shelves behind the counter.  
"Hello, I’m looking for Draco Malfoy?" I asked. She smiled at me and pointed to a blue curtain beside the counter.  
"Mr. Potter-Malfoy is upstairs in his lab. Go on up." I thanked her, and then headed through the curtain and up the stairs. When I got to the top I had to pause a moment and catch my breath. I must have forgotten to take my pain potion this morning. My knee throbbed and I sighed.  
"Draco?" I called.  
"In here!" He hollered. I limped down the hall to the second door and pushed it open.  
Draco was bent over one of the largest cauldrons I’d ever seen. Silvery smoke rose from the surface of the potion with in and curled around him. His hair was curling around his face and he had removed his work robes, and was bent over the cauldron in just his slacks and button down shirt. He glanced up when I entered and smiled.  
"Hey you. Sit down." He said pointing his wand at an arm chair that scooted up close to his cauldron. A footstool soon followed, and he smiled at me, jerking his head toward the chair. I sighed and limped over to the chair. I sank into it and propped my leg up.  
"Sorry about this, I couldn’t leave but I didn’t want you to be by yourself." He said leaning back and grabbed a sandwich wrapped in paper.  
"Here. Your usual my good man." He said grinning. He also handed me a bottle of butter beer and an apple. I unwrapped the sandwich and took a bite. Draco leaned over the cauldron and added some powder of some sort and stirred a couple times. I glanced around the workshop, it was sparse, with the fire and the cauldron in the center of the room, and shelves lined with ingredients and books lined the walls of the room. A large window let in light, but torches burned on the walls to add more light. Draco sighed then and smiled at me  
"It just needs to sit for a few minutes." He said and then pulled up a stool and sat next to me. He unwrapped his own sandwich and smiled.  
"Thanks for joining me." He said softly. I glanced at him and nodded.  
"Thanks for lunch." I said lifting my sandwich. He grinned.  
"So how was your morning?" He asked.  
"Fine, it was pretty slow for a Tuesday, Flourish and Blotts is running a sale on a book we don’t have in yet so most people have gone over there." I said shrugging.  
"Ah that’s how business goes." He said chuckling. He shifted on the stool slightly. We ate in silence for a few moments.  
"I’ve never seen your hair this crazy." I said glancing at him as he stood to stir the potion again. He glanced at me and a lock of blonde hair curled in his face. He reached up and tucked it behind his ear.  
"It’s the humidity from the potions. My hair always looks like this while I work. I keep a hair brush down in the bathroom and usually fix it before lunch and before going home." He said self-consciously raking his fingers through his hair.  
"It’s nice to see this side of you.” I said chuckling.  
He flushed and turned away. I laughed.  
"I’m just teasing. You are so far removed from our school days. It makes me laugh. I’m sorry." I said. Draco added another ingredient and stirred the potion several more times. He sighed and then sat next to my leg on the foot stool.  
"You are too you know." He said staring at me with those intense grey eyes of his. I swallowed and looked down.  
"Why are you always so kind to me?" I whispered, twisting my wedding ring around my finger. He blinked and leaned forward and gently grasped my hands.  
"Because I care. Because you have this look in your eyes like someone hurt you and I don’t want you to look at me like that and I hate that you’re hurting." He said squeezing my hands. I gaped at him.  
"We are only married in name. You make it sound..." I trailed off. He stared at me for a moment. Then leaned forward slowly until his lips were only inches from mine.  
"I make it seem like what Harry?" He breathed. I swallowed and blinked, staring down at his perfect lips. I swallowed again and looked into his grey eyes, which burned with desire and something else I didn’t dare name.  
"You make it seem... like..." I started slowly and didn’t finish. Because Draco leaned impossibly closer, and whispered right against my lips,  
"Do I make it seem like this?" before kissing me slowly. His lips were soft and warm and all I could think was finally. I reached up and pushed my hand into his hair, pulling him closer. He moved his hands to brace them on the arms of the chair so he could lean closer. His tongue traced my lower lip and I gasped in response. He stuck his tongue slowly into my mouth, and I pulled him closer. I lost myself in him, in his mouth and tongue. So when the potion hissed and Draco pulled away, I was surprised and felt dazed.  
"Shit." He muttered standing and rushing to save the potion. I gasped for a few minutes and then I stood.  
"I should...uh....work." I said. And hobbled out of his lab as quick as I could.  
"See you at home?" He called after me, but I didn’t answer. 

Over the next few weeks we barely spoke. I had nightmares nearly every night of kissing him and then Goyle killing him. I knew that my feelings I’d suppressed during school were fighting for attention but I couldn’t fall for him. These things were better kept at arm’s length, otherwise people I loved would die. I had even hidden in the back room a few time when Hermione had come into the shop, avoiding everyone so that she wouldn’t get hurt. I was becoming more and more stressed, sometimes staying up nearly all night to keep the dreams at bay, and pacing the landing outside my room.  
Three weeks after our kiss, I stayed late at the bookshop like I did every Friday helping Franklin unload the weeks book shipment. He ran the shop every Saturday with his granddaughter and needed help getting the books stacked and processed. Draco usually went home before me on Fridays, or went out with coworkers for drinks. So, I flooed home alone when we were done at nine o’clock. I sighed when I stepped out of the fire and leaned against the hearth to catch my breath. I had gained weight due to Milly and Draco’s excellent cooking over my several months of marriage and my color was coming back. Draco always made sure I ate multiple servings and made my pain potion whenever I needed it. The ball room was dark so I lit my wand so as not to fall. That was when I saw the package on the side table underneath the huge portrait of Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy. The only thing we used this room for was floo entrance so the table and the portrait were one of the only things in here. I picked up the note and waved my wand at the candle on the table so it flickered to life. (Draco usually kept two lit in here to honor his parent’s memory, but tonight they weren’t.) 

Harry, 

I am sorry I am not home to greet you tonight. I know things between us have been odd since lunch that day. I love hearing your stories of unpacking books with Franklin and I hope you will save them for me, I have missed talking with you. Blaise needed me on an urgent outing (Pansy dumped him and he wanted to go drinking) and I hope to get back before you wake up tomorrow. Milly has dinner for you in the kitchen and I asked her to warm your bed up when you are ready to go to sleep. Please do not feel the need to wait up for me, I’ve seen how tired and drawn you look these last few weeks. Try to get some decent sleep tonight. I thought this might help you feel more comfortable. 

Have a good evening,  
Draco. 

I set the note down and opened the package, it was wrapped in brown paper and tied with a red and gold string. I had to clutch the table when I saw what it was. I held up a maroon jumper with a gold H on it. It had a note pinned to it. I opened this one with shaking hands. 

I have more for you, one for every year you’ve been gone but if you want them you will need to come to dinner. Feel free to bring Draco.  
-Molly. 

I choked down a sob and pulled the jumper over my head. My cane thunked to the polished floor as I used both hands to pull the fabric up to my nose. It smelled of the Burrow and I felt panic and sorrow wash over me. I started sobbing softly. I missed them so much, it was like a punch in the stomach. The Weasley's were my family, the only one I had ever known and I couldn’t even see them. My heart ached and I fell to my knees, sobbing beneath the portrait of the Malfoys, despair breaking on me in waves. I was aware of Narcissa saying something to me, but I ignored her and sobbed into the sweater, letting all the pain wash over me. 

*

It was three in the morning when I got home. I had apparated to the front gates and when I opened the front door I met a frantic Milly. She was pacing the dim entryway.  
"Milly, what is it?! Has something happened?" I cried dropping to my knees in front of the frantic elf. She was wringing her hands in her tea towel. (Id tried to give her clothes and a wage but she refused.)  
"Master Harry won’t come out of the ball room. He locked the doors and won’t let Milly in. He is crying and sobbing, Milly don’t know what to do." She wailed, clutching her bat like ears. I was up and flying down the hall before she could finish her sentence. My robes and cloak billowed behind me and I skidded to a halt at the door. I tried the door and was unsurprised to find the door locked just as Milly had said. I sighed trying to put the image of Harry dead on the floor out of my mind. I whispered alohamora under my breath and the door clicked open. I cautiously stepped into the room, wand raised. There was a single candle, burned low and sputtering on the table underneath my parent’s portrait. My mother was crotched down in the corner of her frame, and when she spotted me, she pointed to the left of the table near the hearth. I rushed over to find Harry curled in a fetal position the sweater clutched in his hands. I leaned down and found that his eyes were open and red rimmed. "Harry?" I asked softly. His eyes slid to mine and he stared at me for a while. "Harry what’s the matter?"  
"I’m failing so many. I’m letting them down." He breathed. I frowned at him and gently sat down beside him.  
"No you aren’t Harry." I whispered. He nodded.  
"I am, I haven’t spoken to the Weasley's in years. Hermione came into the shop last week and I just hid." I sighed at that.  
"Is it because of me? Are you ashamed of me?" I asked. He peered at me again.  
"No, I just can’t get close to them again. They’ll get hurt." He said so softly I barely heard. His voice was soaked in pain and he shivered on the ground. I reached out and gently rubbed his arm.  
"Hey, no one’s getting hurt. It’s ok. It’s alright Harry." I whispered. He shuddered again.  
"Harry, can you sit up? Let’s get you upstairs to bed ok?" I asked. I helped him into a sitting position and wrapped my cloak around him. "See? Much better." I said. Harry blew out a breath and stared at me.  
"Why did you kiss me?" He asked. I blinked in surprise.  
"Come on, let’s get you up to bed." I said after a beat. "We'll talk about this tomorrow ok?" I said and lifted him into my arms. He was still thin and was only slightly heavy in my arms. I unlocked both doors with a wave of my hand, and blew out the candle. I carefully left the room and carried him up the stairs. He let me carry him and didn’t say anything. I debated putting him in my bed room but instead carried him to his. I waved my hand and the lights flared, illuminating the bed. I laid him down and tried to move to his feet to remove his shoes.  
"No." He breathed, clutching my robes. His green eyes bore into me.  
"Shhh, I just want to take off your shoes you’ll be more comfortable." I whispered. He looked wary but released me. I moved and slipped his shoes and socks off. "Do you want to change into pajamas? You’ll probably be more comfortable." I asked. He thought for a moment and then nodded. I helped him up and in to the bathroom. I waited outside until he was done and helped him limp to his bed.  
"Is your knee bothering you?" I asked. He nodded slowly. My heart swelled at the pain in his face, from both physical and emotional.  
"Can I... can I massage it for you? I bet it’s just stiff from lying on the cold floor." I asked slowly. He stared at me for a moment and then shrugged.  
"If you really want to." He said slowly. I nodded and pulled his leg into my lap. I gently used my fingers to rub his knee through his pants.  
"Please tell me if this actually helps or not." I whispered. He nodded.  
"It is a bone injury that never healed properly. So it doesn’t feel bad. It’s nice to um be touched." He whispered, blushing and turning away. I smiled and kept rubbing his knee. When I looked up again he was watching me intently.  
"What’s the matter?" I asked, feeling worried.  
"Nothing." He whispered. And then his eyes flickered down to my lips.  
"Harry," I said leaning closer. "Is there something you need?" I braced my hand on the other side of him and leaned closer still.  
"I...I... no." He said. But he leaned in. I chuckled.  
"Ah, I think there is dear husband." I teased moving closer. He leaned in. I grinned again.  
"Are you up for this? Because if I kiss you again, I don’t want to stop." I whispered. He paused for a beat and then instead of answering, kissed me. I gasped in surprise, and then his hands were in my hair and he stuck his tongue in my mouth. It was hot and passionate. I pushed a hand into his hair and tried to get closer. He broke away with a chuckle.  
"Easy. Remember my leg." He said breathlessly. He pulled his leg over mine and scooted down so he was lying down next to me. He smiled weakly and beckoned with a single finger. My breath caught and I leaned down and kissed him again. His lips were warm and soft. I slipped a hand to the edge of his t-shirt and gently slipped it under to meet his boiling skin. He was always warm, and my cold hand tingled as it explored his stomach.  
"Your hand is freezing." He whispered against my lips, and I felt goose bumps race across his skin.  
"And you are like fire." I answered. I kissed down his jaw, feeling his stubble sting my lips, and then kissed down his neck finding that tender bit of skin to worry that made him gasp and clutch me.  
"Draco..." he breathed. I sucked his skin and lightly grazed it with my teeth. He moaned and tugged at me.  
"What? What do you want?" I whispered against his neck.  
"More." He breathed. I smiled and tugged at his shirt. He obediently sat up and I pulled it over his head. His bronze skin shone in the faint light of his room. He had a scar over his heart in the shape of a sunburst but otherwise his chest was smooth and unmarked. I stared at him as he lay back on the pillows, his caramel skin accented by the pale yellow of the sheets below him. I licked my lips and leaned forward to kiss down his chest greedily, catching a nipple between my teeth gently and sucking on it. He gasped and his hand flew to my hair. I kissed the sunburst scar gently and used a fingertip to trace it.  
"It’s from a..." he started but I silenced him by kissing him soundly on the mouth.  
"I don’t care, Harry. It’s part of you and that’s all that matters to me." I said pulling back and brushing some hair out of his eyes. He had a strange look flickering there and he stared at me intently, the brilliant green hard to read. "You have always been the most handsome man I’ve ever met." I whispered, letting my hands roam over his skin. He bit his lip and looked away. "Hey. Let me take care of you, don’t worry, just let me make you feel good." I kissed him lightly, after gently turning him to look at me. "Please, let me show you how much I’ve grown to love you." I whispered. His eyes widened.  
"You love me?" He breathed. I sighed and rested my forehead against his briefly.  
"Yes, so incredibly much." I said staring down at him. He stared back, and then leaned up and kissed me. I kissed him back tenderly, and swung my leg over him so that I settled into his lap, then trailed open mouthed kisses down his jaw, neck and chest, crawling down until I reached the bulge in his pants. I kissed him gently through his flannel pants and then gently, slowly tugged them down. He lifted his hips to help me, as his breathing became heavier. I pulled his pants off and cast them aside. He wasn’t wearing any underwear and his full, hard cock swung invitingly. I licked my lips and leaned toward him. Before I could touch him though, he said gruffly  
"Robes. Off." I grinned,  
"Greedy, aren’t we. You are lucky I’m in such a compliant mood, I normally need more wooing." I responded. He growled and tugged at my robes again. I laughed and sat back to pull my robes over my head. I tossed them off the bed and leaned down, taking him into my mouth. He moaned and I swirled my tongue around his heavy cock. He pushed his hands in my hair and I wrapped my hand around him. I meant to draw it out, tease him until he felt nothing but pleasure, delirious under my touch. But he was making delicious little moans and I couldn’t help it. The weight of him on my tongue and the taste of him was everything I’d longed for since our marriage. I began pulling his cock and sucking the head, teasing the slit with my tongue, licking back and forth across it. He moaned and bucked his hips. I hummed low in my throat and took him all in my mouth, relaxing my jaw to allow him to move, and sucked him gently. I pulled all the way off and then immediately went back down on him.  
"Oh, Draco I’m gonna come!" He cried, clutching my head and bucking his hips. I took him all into my mouth as he came in hot ribbons at the back of my throat. When he was done and had collapsed on the sheets panting, I pulled off of him slowly and looked him in the eyes as I swallowed. He let out a low growl and lunged up to grab me in a kiss. It was sloppy and wet, his tongue danced with mine and he pulled me into his lap, his hands clutching my arse. I moaned and he dove for my neck, hungrily.  
"Harry." I moaned. His burning finger tips traced my chest and I looked down in the low light. He was staring at the scars slashed across my chest.  
"Are these from me?" He whispered. I sighed and pushed a hand through my hair, trying to regain enough composure to speak.  
"Yes." I whispered. He traced the three white scars for a few minutes, one at a time, his fingertips leaving burning trails down my chest. I shivered under his touch, but the longer he stared, the more solemn his face became. "Harry, please. Don’t worry about it." I grasped his face in my hands and stared at him, tipping his face up to mine. "I forgive you, ok?" I said. His eyes burned with pain and I leaned forward, gently fitting my mouth to his. He gradually relaxed as our mouths moved together and wrapped my arms around his neck. He ran his hands up my side and then suddenly plunged them down my back, below my pants to grasp my arse. He thrust his hips against mine and when I gasped, he shoved his tongue into my mouth. I moaned.  
"I want to fuck you." He breathed against my mouth, breaking the kiss as we both panted against each other. His erection rubbed against mine through my pants causing me to shudder.  
"Please." I breathed. I scooted off of him and pulled off my pants. He grabbed his wand and muttered a cleansing spell that was cold but not unpleasant. He leaned back so he was propped against the headboard, adjusting the pillows so he was comfortable. His eyes sparked and he smirked at my frantic movements. I crawled over to him and sat on his lap again. I kissed him, hands on either side of his face. He grabbed my arse and squeezed, causing me to moan against his mouth. He kissed me hard and then reached down and grabbed both of our cocks in one hand. I gasped, and he started to slowly pump his hand. The friction surrounding my heavy cock was delicious, between his rough hands and his own cock. I moaned against his mouth.  
"Draco Malfoy, loud in bed. Who knew? I wonder if you’re a screamer." He teased.  
"It’s Potter-Malfoy to you." I replied but the effect was ruined by my lack of breath. He grinned and continued to move his hand around our cocks.  
"Harry." I gasped.  
"Lift up so I can prepare you." He breathed, removing his hand. I nodded and pushed myself up so I was kneeling above his lap. I grabbed the headboard for support, bracing a hand on either side of his head, as he muttered another spell. I felt his lube slick fingers move between my arse cheeks to my entrance. I blew out a breath as my arousal battled with my nerves.  
"There you go. Just breathe. Is this your first time?" He whispered, leaning his head back between my hands, emerald eyes piercing mine. I flushed.  
"No, but it’s been a while." I said looking down at him. His eyes sparkled and I leaned down, brushing his lips with mine.  
"Ready?" He asked. "I’ll be gentle." He added with a wink. He then pushed a finger against my entrance. I moaned and focused on staying relaxed. "Shhh there you go. Just breathe for me." He whispered. I leaned my forehead against his as he pushed in deeper, I winced and bit my lip. He let me adjust, his other hand running up and down my back and muttered soothing words before adding another. I moaned slightly and shifted to adjust to the burn. He kissed me, shoving his tongue in my mouth when he began to slowly scissor his fingers. I tensed against him.  
"Ah Harry!" I cried. "Please." I begged as his fingers brushed my prostate.  
"Hold on, you aren’t prepared yet." He said softly. I moaned as he slipped another finger in and began working me open. I tensed, waiting for the pain to subside. He moved his fingers, watching me intently. Then he found it again and I gasped pitching forward against him. "Ah, there it is." He said happily kissing me again. I reached down and began pulling at his cock, making him gasp.  
"Fuck me, please!" I begged. He slowly slid his fingers out of me. He kissed me and pulled me closer. He muttered a spell against my lips and I felt his lubed cock brush against my entrance. I moaned against his mouth. He pushed his cock against my entrance again and I sank down on to it. He filled me entirely, and it burned. When he was fully sheathed in my body I settled into his lap and leaned against him. He rubbed his hands up my back and moaned.  
"Merlin Draco you feel so good." He breathed and kissed my neck hungrily. I could feel his thighs tremble against mine in the effort to be still while the burn subsided. "Draco, can I move?" He breathed. I nodded breathlessly. He moaned and began to move his hips. It felt wonderful, and I grabbed the headboard to pull myself up so he had more room to move. He began to pound into me. I gasped and shifted as he grabbed my hips to hold me steady. And then he found my prostate again and I threw my head back and moaned as he continued to pound into me.  
"Oh gods, yes! Harry! Harry, I'm going to come. Don’t stop, don’t stop!" I begged. He growled low in his throat, his movements becoming more rough and intense. He reached down, grasped my cock, and began wanking me. I gasped.  
"Harry!" I cried out as I came, painting both of our chests with come. He moaned and pounded into me once more as he rode out his second orgasm. I leaned into him, panting as we both came down from our high. After a while, I grabbed my wand, and cleaned our chests. I rose off of him, letting his softening cock slide out of me and then lay beside him. He was panting and pushed his hair out of his eyes.  
"You are amazing." He breathed.  
"I love you." I whispered to him. He sighed and looked away. "It’s ok if you can’t say it yet. I just wanted you to know." I said with a sigh. I swung my legs off the bed and looked for my robes.  
"Please, don’t leave. I’m sorry I can’t say it back but I can’t be alone. The nightmares." He whispered, voice shaking slightly. I sighed and brushed his hair back.  
"Ok, I’ll stay, shhh don’t worry." I said sitting back on the edge of the bed. He looked at me as I pulled my pants back on. I held out my arms for him and he curled up against me. I smoothed his hair back and settled into the pillows. I waved my hand and the lights turned off. I kissed his forehead.  
"Goodnight Harry."  
"Goodnight, Draco."  
I honestly don’t remember which of us fell asleep first. 

*

I woke up alone. My head was pounding and I was wearing the Weasley sweater. I sat up and buried my head in my hands. Memories of last night came flooding back and I felt panic rush through me. Oh no. Before I could wallow too long however, a patronus burst into the room.  
"Good day Potty, meet me in front of that shitty little book store of yours in 30 minutes we need to talk." Goyle's voice growled from the mouth of the snake before it disappeared.  
The door to my room burst open and Draco raced in looking panicked, he was wearing a robe and carrying a mug of tea.  
"Are you ok? I heard a voice?" He asked frantically.  
"Yeah I'm fine. I need to go help Franklin with something, I’ve got to go into work for a little while." Draco frowned.  
"Harry... are you sure you’re feeling up to it? I had hoped we could spend the day together. I made you tea." He asked cautiously. My mind screamed that no, no I wasn’t up to it. But I squashed the panic down.  
"Franklin just needs me to double check something, some forms were misplaced and his granddaughter doesn’t know what he means. I’ll be fine. I won’t be gone more than like four hours." I said, getting up and grabbing some robes. I pulled them on and checked my hair in the mirror before summoning my cane from the ballroom downstairs.  
Draco was still hovering in the doorway.  
"Draco, its fine. I’m fine." I said tensely, trying not to snap at him.  
"Is this because of what happened last night?! What happened to you? Talk to me! I’m your husband!" He cried following me out of my room and down the stairs.  
"In name only!" I snapped rounding on him. "You married me to keep your money, and your home! We don’t share a bed and we don’t love each other! We slept together once Draco. Merlin! I’m going to be late." I snapped and then apparated right to the shop.  
Goyle was leaning against the window checking his watch.  
"Almost late Potty." He warned.  
"What do you want?" I asked. He laughed.  
"You'll see." He said coming over to me and grabbing my arm, and then twisted into crushing darkness.  
We arrived in the same room I’d spent that month and a half of hell in.  
"No, no please." I said, trying to pull away, giving in to the waves of panic.  
"Oh Potty. That’s not manly of you. No, no please!" He imitated in a high voice. He shoved me toward the seat. "Sit down and shut up." He said. I did as he asked and stared at him nervously. "So Potty, I received some interesting information today. I have a contact at Gringotts, naturally and she shared something with me today. Do you know what that could be, Potty?" He asked waving his wand absentmindedly. "She said that Malfoys account has not been depleted monthly by an amount that you have given us. She said that all of money going out of the account has not been in that large of an amount. Now tell me Potter, why the fuck is that??" He yelled the last part in my face and I struggled to hold on to my composure.  
"I... I...” I tried.  
"Don’t fucking stutter Potter. Crucio!" He cried. I screamed in pain and fell out of the chair.  
"Where the hell did the money come from? Were your instructions unclear?!" He screamed, kicking me in the ribs. I gasped and doubled up.  
"It was my paycheck from the bookstore." I gasped out.  
"Oh it was your fucking paycheck?" He cried kicking me again, hard. "Did I say you could pay me in your paycheck?" He snarled, leaning down by my face. "Did I?!" He shouted. I jumped and he paced away.  
"You are a worthless piece of trash, Potter. It isn’t revenge if it isn’t his fucking money!! Crucio!!" He screamed. His anger was strong, and thick meaning that the crucio was almost as painful as the one Voldemort had cast on me forth year. I screamed and writhed on the ground. It was unbearable. I blacked out after about two minutes of the pain. 

*

"Pansy, don't fucking tell me to calm down. He has been gone for two days!! Franklin never saw him, and he won’t answer any owls. I don’t know where he is!" I screamed at her. She was standing in the ballroom looking nervous. She was wringing her gloves in her hands and was watching me pace.  
"Draco, please. I know this is scary. The aurors are looking for him, but I need you to tell me anything you know, anything at all. Please Draco, I’ve never seen you so happy as these past few weeks with him. I want you to find him too!" She said pleadingly. I was shaking, I hadn’t slept since he’d stormed out yesterday and hadn’t come home, and I hadn’t eaten anything.  
"He doesn’t have his pain potion. Something isn’t right. Something isn’t right." I cried. Pansy let out a small sob and I glanced at her.  
"I don’t know if I should tell you this." She murmured through her hand. "Someone said they saw him yesterday talking to a man. The man grabbed his arm and apparated away with him." I froze.  
"Do you think he’s cheating on me??" I shrieked. Pansy's eyes welled up with tears and she stared at me.  
"Draco, he took forever to warm up to you. Something bad happened to him before he married you. What if whoever hurt him before came back?" She whispered, shaking with her sobs.  
"Oh no. My Harry. My poor poor Harry." I cried sinking to my knees on the floor. Pansy rushed to me and held me close as I cried. I clutched her robes and shook her slightly.  
"Why the hell haven’t they found him??? What the fuck is wrong with the Arours???" I cried. She sobbed and tried to reassure me that they were doing everything they could.  
A week passed this way, no news and no sign of Harry. I didn’t go to work and barely slept or ate anything. Pansy stayed with me and tried to keep me going, helping Milly prepare food and making sure I at least laid down. I had been sleeping in his room, reliving everything that had happened before he'd stormed off and hoping that he was alright. I was sitting absently staring into the fire in the drawing room when a patronus shot through the window.  
"Malfoy. I have something of yours. You have until midnight to transfer all of the money in your vault to mine, before the thing of yours leaves forever." The snake said before disappearing. I shot up and raced to the hallway.  
"Pansy! Goyle has Harry! Pansy!!" I screamed. She came running down the hall.  
"Goyle??" She shrieked. "Blaise, go get the aurors. Bring them here, immediately!" She bellowed, there was a soft pop upstairs and Blaise disapparated. "How do you know?"  
"He sent me a patronus saying I have to transfer all my money to him or the thing he has of mine will leave forever." Her eyes widened and she reached out to hold me for support.  
The aurors arrived then, they asked me to repeat the message and then cast tracking spells and such. They were at my house for around 3 hours when one of them got a lead.  
"They are in London, in some abandoned warehouse." An auror said bursting into the house. The aurors started filing out but I caught the chief aurors sleeve. "I’m coming." He scowled at me.  
"No, you aren’t. Stay here. We will let you know when we find him."  
"With all due respect, sir, but if you have found my fucking husband I’m coming with you." He sighed and studied me  
"Fine, but you stay back until we’ve cleared the building." I nodded and then we disapparated. It was raining lightly when we appeared on the sidewalk in front of the run down building. I swallowed and stared up at it, and shivered, not from cold but because the place was creepy. The aurors stormed the building, bursting through the door and jumping in the single dirty window at the front. I really meant to stay outside, wrapped in my cloak until I heard the all clear. I really did. But then I heard him scream, and I was running. I shot into the building following his scream until I reached him. I froze in the door way.  
The room was dirty and lit by a single light bulb, and he was cowering in the corner. He was watching the aurors dealing with Goyle in the opposite corner, and trying to pull himself as far into the corner as possible. I choked back a sob and rushed to him.  
"Oh Harry, oh Harry my Harry." I cried reaching for him. He was shaking and shrunk away from my touch. I gently pulled him to me and held him against my chest, murmuring soothing words in his ear. "Shhh, my love, shhh I’ve got you. Love, I’m here. Nothing bad is going to happen you ever again. Shhh, my love I’m here." I said. He clung to me suddenly and began to violently shake. I stood up, carrying him in my arms and hurried outside.  
"You, listen. I’m taking him to Saint Mungo’s." I told the auror standing outside before apparating him to the hospital. They sedated him as soon as we arrived and he was taken away to be examined. It took a while for then to pull him off of me before the sedative kicked in. I was sent to a waiting room, where I sat for hours. I paced, and then would sit and then pace some more.  
"Draco." A voice said. I glanced up, I had been staring at my shoes wishing I knew what was happening. It was nearly midnight and standing across the waiting room from me was Hermione Granger. She had tears in her eyes and held out her arms. I rushed to her and held her tight. We both sobbed for a few minutes before breaking apart and sinking on to one of the couches. She held my hand and gazed at me.  
"Ron was picking up a file for me when he saw Blaise come running in bellowing about Harry. He came home and told me immediately. I came here as soon as we heard that he had been brought in. Oh Draco." She said sniffling. "They said that Goyle threatened him with the Weasleys. He said he'd kill us if Harry didn’t do what Goyle wanted." I swallowed and squeezed her hand. "Where’s Ron?" I asked.  
"He’s with the Aurors dealing with Goyle. Said he was too angry that we weren’t invited to the wedding and too angry about what happened to sit and wait right now." I sighed.  
"We got married because my father put a clause in his will that I had to, and apparently because Goyle abused Harry into it." I said bitterly.  
"But you’ve been married for months? And I’ve seen some pictures in the Prophet. I’ve seen the way you look at him. You love him don’t you?" She asked. I nodded and felt tears form again. "And does he love you?" She asked. I sighed.  
"He was so broken when we got married. He must have come straight from Goyle, he won’t talk about it. I’ve tried so hard, and we have had moments but he has never said that he loves me. Which makes sense now, because of what that bastard put him through." I said. Hermione smiled softly.  
"Harry had a horrid childhood. He doesn’t say he cares very much. I’m sorry Draco. I am sure he cares. Ron said that Goyle demanded money from your account and Harry sent him his paycheck instead, and that’s why he went missing again. Goyle found that unacceptable." Hermione said. I gaped at her. She gave me a small smile.  
"Mr. Potter-Malfoy, your husband is out of surgery and he is asking for you." A healer said, standing in the doorway.  
"He's awake? He wants to see me?" I asked. She nodded, smiling.  
"Yes sir. Mrs. Granger-Weasley you will have to wait outside, there is powerful magic being used on him and it can be harmful for the baby." Hermione nodded and nudged me forward. I swallowed and followed the healer. She paused outside of his room and turned to me.  
"He is very shaken up and very nervous, we tried to sedate him but he begged us not to so we encourage you to move slowly and not push him to talk. He was put through hell." She breathed before opening the door. I entered the room slowly. Harry was lying in bed, shifting uncomfortably. His eyes were darting all over the room and he was fussing with the blanket. The healer shut the door behind me.  
"Hello, love." I whispered. His eyes snapped to me and he let out a breath. "You’re safe sweetheart. You’re safe ok?" I said. He didn’t say anything just continued to stare at me. "Do you have enough pillows? Are you warm enough?" I asked, still very softly. He looked confused and looked down at the blanket he was clutching. "Do you need another blanket, love? I can get one from home if you’d like." I asked softly. His eyes widened.  
"Don’t leave." He said so softly I barely heard him.  
"I won’t. I’ll stay right here. Can I sit next to you?" I asked. He nodded. So I sat down next to him in the chair pulled up to his bedside. He watched me and still nervously twisted the blanket. "You're safe, my love." I said softly. He continued to watch me. "Can you maybe lay down and try to sleep?" I asked. He shifted again and his eyes darted around the room.  
"They are gonna knock me out. They want to make me sleep." He breathed out. I nodded.  
"They want to help you, they think that sleep will help you feel better. But if you sleep by yourself they won’t knock you out." I said slowly. He sighed heavily and leaned back into the pillows.  
"Don’t let them make me sleep." He said. I nodded.  
"I won’t, baby. I won’t." His eyelids fluttered, and he hesitantly reached out a hand. I clasped it slowly and he clung to me.  
"Don’t leave me." He asked. I gently brushed a kiss against his knuckles.  
"Never, I’m not going anywhere." I whispered. Harry fell asleep minutes later and I sat with him for the rest of the night. At around 3 am the healers decided to give him a sleeping draught to help him heal. I felt a little bad for going back on my promise but as soon as he was given the draught he relaxed and slept much deeper. I left his side only to use the bathroom and fill Ron and Hermione in on his progress. Usually one of them handed me food every time I appeared. The story hit the papers the next day. 

Savior of the Wizarding World Reappears under Horrible Circumstances.  
Everyone knows that the famous Harry Potter resurfaced several months ago to wed Mr. Draco Malfoy. But until yesterday no one knew where he had been or why he showed up to unexpectedly marry Mr. Malfoy. The wedding took place at the Ministry of Magic and was witnessed by Ms. Parkinson and Mr. Zabini. The couple then moved into Malfoy Manor, where they both worked. Mr. Harry Potter-Malfoy worked at a book store and Mr. Draco Potter-Malfoy continued to make potions at Xeno's Apothecary. But then things took a turn about a week ago. Harry Potter-Malfoy went missing, much to the distress of his husband. When Draco Potter-Malfoy received a patronus message from Harry's captor the aurors were able to locate him and bring him to safety.  
Harry was being held in a muggle warehouse where he was tortured by Gregory Goyle. Goyle stated to the aurors who arrested him that he had no regrets and merely wanted revenge on Draco Malfoy. He said that prior to the marriage he kept Harry in the warehouse for a month and a half torturing Harry to ensure he got what he wanted. He broke Harry's knee using a metal pipe among other atrocities.  
Healers at Saint Mungo’s say that Harry Potter-Malfoy's knee will never be the same but that with therapy and plenty of rest he can lead a full life with his husband.  
Gregory Goyle has been sent to Azkaban where he will spend the rest of his life under heavy guard. The Wizengamot also ruled that the money in his vault at Gringotts will go to the Potter-Malfoys to make up for damages caused.

All in all the article wasn’t bad and hadn’t been written by Skeeter so I decided it wasn’t worth wasting time worrying about it. I went home that afternoon briefly to tell Milly everything was fine and to ask her to clean Harry's room. Then I returned to Harry's side. 

*

When I woke up, I was aware of being warm and had that lingering feeling that I’d been having a wonderful dream. I frowned, wanting to get back to it, I had been warm and safe, and seemed to remember being held. I heard a chuckle from my side and a voice said "Good morning love." I frowned deeper and opened my eyes. It was bright in the room and I reached up and rubbed my eyes. I blinked a couple times and looked over to see who had spoken.  
"There’s those beautiful green eyes of mine. How'd you sleep, love?" He asked. I smiled, making out the blurring image of the blonde.  
"Draco." I croaked. And then cleared my throat to get rid of the scratchiness. "Draco, you’re here." I said softly. He smiled, and gently put my glasses on my head.  
"Of course I’m here my love." He said. He looked exhausted, his usually perfect hair was gathered in a low ponytail and looked like it had been there for days. His eyes were red rimmed and he looked as though he had been crying. I frowned and reached out to brush a tear from his face.  
"Why are you crying?" I asked. He smiled weakly and leaned into my hand.  
"Because I love you and I was very worried about you." He whispered kissing the palm of my hand. "Also I broke my promise. I let them give you a sleeping draught." He whispered looking worried. I chuckled.  
"I forgive you." I teased. He laughed weakly and leaned forward to rest his elbows on the bed. He looked exhausted.  
"I was worried you’d be mad." He breathed.  
"I’m not mad. I feel great. A little weak and kinda hungry but very well rested. You however are another story, looks like you need some sleep." I replied smoothing a hand over his head. He closed his eyes and sighed. I scooted over and patted the bed beside me.  
He raised an eyebrow at me. I smiled and nodded.  
"Come on, Draco, when was the last time you slept?" I asked.  
"Two weeks ago." He said climbing on to the bed.  
"I was asleep for a week?" I asked surprised as he tentatively reached for me.  
"Yeah baby. You needed it. They took you off the sleeping draught two days ago and you just kept sleeping. Your healer said that you would wake up when you were ready." He said and then yawned hugely. I smiled and let myself be scooped into his arms. He snuggled into me and sighed. "This is nice." He whispered. I nodded in agreement and snuggled up to him. I yawned and fell asleep again cuddled up against him. 

I was discharged from Saint Mungo’s the next day. I was asked to come in once a week for counseling so that I could talk through some things that had happened to me. I was given a new cane, not one that had bad memories associated with it. Draco hovered around me while the healer was going over everything with me.  
"Draco stop it. I’m not gonna combust into a million pieces." I said softly as he adjusted my cloak yet again. He sighed.  
"I’m just worried. I’m sorry." He replied. I smiled at him and took his hand so we could apparate home.  
When we got there, Draco grinned before opening the door.  
"I have a surprise for you, love." He said happily before pushing open the door. I raised my eyebrows at him and stepped inside. There was a shriek and I was suddenly surrounded by bushy brown hair.  
"Hermione??" I gasped. She hugged me tight and pulled back to stare at me with tears in her eyes.  
"Oh Harry. I’m so sorry. I’m so so sorry." She sobbed clinging to me.  
"Easy there 'Mione. The poor man just got home." A familiar voice said. I glanced around Hermione to see Ron standing on the stairs. I gaped at him.  
"Ron. Hermione. You’re here!" I said in shock and looked at Draco. He smiled fondly at me.  
"They heard what happened and were at the hospital most of the time I was while you were sleeping." He said smiling. I disentangled myself from Hermione and walked over to Draco. I reached up, and kissed him gently.  
"Thank you for bringing them here." I whispered. He blinked at me looking surprised and then blushed.  
Hermione giggled and Ron pretended to barf. I turned and smiled at my two best friends.  
"I’m so sorry guys." I said. Hermione swallowed slowly.  
"Harry, we know what Goyle said and threatened you with." She whispered grabbing Ron’s hand. Draco wrapped his arm protectively around my waist as I stiffened.  
"That’s not what I meant. I meant when I took off for Hungary and didn’t even write or contact you guys. I’m sorry." Hermione’s eyes shone with tears.  
"What were you doing in Hungary?!" Ron asked. I laughed and glanced at Draco.  
"Having a lot of sex." I said, which was met with snorts of laughter from Ron, a gasp from Hermione and a possessive growl from Draco. While Hermione tried to calm Ron I pulled Draco in for another kiss.  
"Hey, Draco?" I asked  
"Yes, love?"  
"I love you." 

Ron and Hermione stayed through dinner, talking about babies and passing around pictures of their little Rose. When they left, Hermione hugged me tightly and sobbed all over my shoulder, saying over and over how glad she was that I was safe. We waved them off when Ron finally pulled Hermione off me and took her home. When the large front door closed with a creek, Draco spun me around and pushed me against it. I gasped and stared up at him, until his mouth crashed into mine. He kissed me hungrily and shoved his tongue down my throat. I clutched his robes and pulled him against me, loving the hard press of his body and the desperation of his kiss.  
“What was that for?” I gasped when he pulled back.  
“Because I love you and because you scared the shit out of me, Potter.” He said slowly.  
“Potter-Malfoy now, Draco haven’t you heard.” I teased. He growled.  
“You little shit.” He breathed and kissed me again. He tasted of the chocolate ice cream we had had for dinner, and I could feel all of his pain through the frantic movements of his tongue and lips. I pushed on him slightly and broke the kiss.  
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.” I said slowly. He breathed out a sigh.  
“I understand why you didn’t. I could have helped though. Goyle is the stupidest person I’ve ever met. I could have freed you a long time ago.” He whispered. I reached up and tucked some hair behind his ear. He stared at me with his stone grey eyes, and I gently brushed my thumb across his cheek.  
“Can I sleep in your room tonight?” I asked softly, a teasing smile on my face. He laughed then, a loud sound that filled the entry hall. He scooped me into his arms and started up the stairs.  
“Only if you promise to never leave.” He replied. I nodded and let him carry me up the stairs. I leaned in and began kissing his neck. He shuddered and his steps on the stairs slowed as I began sucking gently on the pale skin of his throat.  
“Harry…” He breathed.  
“You can’t do anything until you get me to bed.” I teased. He moaned and charged up the stairs. He burst into his room, kicked the door closed behind him and laid me on the bed. Before I could even react he was on top of me and kissed me soundly. I clutched at his robes, and pushed a hand into his hair. The strands were dirty but I didn’t care, I just wanted him closer. I hooked my right leg around his waist, encouraging him to settle between my hips.  
He broke the kiss with a laugh and pulled back to peer down at me. “Sorry, my hair is a mess, my husband was in the hospital.” He said. I laughed.  
“I won’t tell him.” I said and latched on to his neck again. He gasped as I nipped at the skin, creating large purple mark.  
“Harry…” He breathed.  
“Hmm…” I hummed as I flipped him over.  
“We shouldn’t…” He started to stay, but stopped when I vanished his robes with a flick of my wrist. “Hey! You aren’t supposed to do magic!” He cried. I laughed.  
“I think my healer would understand if she ever saw you naked.” I said, making him blush. I laughed and kissed down his chest, kissing softly along each scar on his chest.  
“We shouldn’t...” He said again. I ignored him and gently sucked on a nipple, causing him to jump and plunge his hand in my hair, knocking my glasses aside. I chuckled, and adjusted them before kissing down to his pants. I teasingly slipped the tips of my fingers under the elastic of them and peered up at him.  
“Do you always wear just your pants under your robes?” I asked teasingly.  
“Only when there’s a chance you will take them off.” I laughed and kissed him briefly through his pants.  
“Well, husband, prepare to never wear anything under your robes again.” I said. He shuddered and I kissed the inside of his thigh gently. He jumped and stared at me as I kissed down one and then up the other, skipping his clothed cock in the middle. His pre-come was making a wet spot on his underwear. He groaned and twitched his hips.  
“Have you given up trying to talk me out of this?” I asked.  
“We really shouldn’t….Ah, Harry!” He cried as I slipped my hand in his pants to palm him. I laughed and pulled them down, shoving them off his feet and tossing them to the floor. When we had first had sex, I hadn’t taken much time admiring his cock. But now I did, like him, it was long and lean. It was swollen and hard, flushed pink and the tip was leaking already.  
“My Draco, I’ve barely touched you!” I whispered trailing a fingertip along the shaft. He keened and bucked his hips.  
“I didn’t tease you this much.” He ground out. I laughed and brushed a kiss against his lips.  
“True, you didn’t.” I said, and then leaned down and slowly trailed my tongue up his shaft and gently across the head. His breathing hitched and he shuddered briefly. I grinned and licked him a few more times, slowly and gently, reveling in the way he was beginning to come undone, his pale cheeks were flushed pink and his grey eyes were wide with want. A fine sheen of sweat covered his chest and his breathing was ragged, he kept shoving a hand into his hair, rumpling it and making it look wild.  
“Merlin Harry! Please!” He cried. I laughed and in one swift motion took him all the way into my mouth. He gasped and clutched my hair. I bobbed my head, and sucked gently on the tip. He tasted wonderful and I hummed my appreciation. He moaned and tugged at my hair, trying to get me further down on him. I chuckled and wrapped my hand around him. I moved my hand and mouth in tandem, going down and pulling off quickly and driving him wild within seconds. He gasped and clutched my hair tightly in his fist, the other hand balling up the sheets below him, before thrusting into my mouth and with a scream of “Harry!” He came. I stayed all the way down on him until he was done and then popped off before swallowing loudly and obviously. He lay on the bed and panted, pushing a hand into his already messy blonde strands and gazed at me, grey eyes blown wide.  
“You really did spend all that time in Hungary having sex.” He breathed. I laughed  
“Did you doubt me?” I said in mock outrage. He laughed weakly and reached out for me. I leaned down on top of him and kissed him softly. He smoothed back my hair, and stared at me lovingly.  
“That was amazing. Thank you.” He whispered. I smiled and kissed him, slowly. He deepened the kiss, angling his head and opening his mouth to allow me better access with my tongue. I felt my clothes vanish and chuckled against his mouth. He grinned in response and pulled away slightly. I propped myself on my elbows and gazed down at him.  
“You should rest.” He whispered, rushing a hand through my hair and I was struck by how different we both were now. The tenderness and caring that made his grey eyes burn was so different from the panic and fear that used to color them in our school days. He was so different and yet very much the same, he liked things a certain way and he was fussy and pretentious, but as I stared down at him I realized none of that mattered.  
“I love you.” I whispered. He flushed slightly and smiled.  
“I love you too.” He answered, fingers still combing through my hair.  
“Draco…” I started and then shook my head. He looked at me curiously but didn’t say anything. I blew out a breath, and leaned my forehead against his. “Are you upset that we married the way we did?” I whispered. He chuckled.  
“It was all part of my evil plan to get the great Harry Potter in bed.” He teased. I smiled briefly, propping myself up on my elbows and then frowned.  
“I don’t think we would have found each other if we hadn’t been forced into it.” He whispered, his hand still combing through my hair. “You would have lived your life out in Hungary and I would have married someone else wishing they were you.” He finished and then flushed at his words, he bit his lip but didn’t look away, grey eyes boring into mine.  
“Wait what?!” I cried. He sighed and looked at me intently for a moment.  
“I realized in sixth year that I liked you. I realized a while before then that I was gay, but sixth year with all the stress I was under, I found myself longing to be with you, to feel safe in your presence the way so many others did.” He whispered.  
“Then when you vanished after the war, I told myself to move on, if not even your best friends heard from you I had no hope, so I dated a bit and threw myself into work. And then my mother died followed shortly by my father. I didn’t think I would ever be lucky enough to find you and convince you to marry me. So I figured that if I could find a man fit enough to keep me happy, I could forget you and have a pleasant life. And then Pansy found you, or someone found her. I don’t know which, and I don’t want to.” He paused briefly his eyes clouding over with anger. “I hate what happened to you to bring you to me, I hate the pain you lived through both physical and emotional during the first months of our marriage, but I am so grateful that you are here now.” He said and suddenly flipped us over so I was on bottom. “And now you’re mine, all mine.” He growled and captured me in a kiss. Our teeth knocked together with the force of it and his tongue was in my mouth and his hands were in my hair. I moaned and clutched at him, tangling my hands in the silky soft strands of his hair. He sucked on my lower lip and his teeth gingerly grazed it, making me moan. He shifted his hips slightly and I could feel his cock pressed against mine, he was already hard again and I moaned into his mouth at the friction.  
“Are you up for this?” he breathed.  
“Yes.” I answered hurriedly. He chuckled and pulled back so he could see me.  
“You want to do the fucking or shall I?” Draco asked, leaning over me, looking like the sophisticated bastard that he was, the vulnerability of a moment ago replaced with lust. I laughed.  
“You put that so beautifully.” I teased. He scowled and swatted me with his hand. I laughed. “Me. I didn’t get to enjoy the view last time, I don’t want to miss another opportunity.” I answered. He flushed and reached for his wand. He wordlessly cast the cleaning spells needed and leaned forward so I could reach him. I murmured the lubricating spell and reached back to gently push at his entrance. He leaned forward so that his chest hovered above my face so that I had better access. I gently pushed a finger past the tight ring of muscle, and slowly pushed it all the way in. I paused then, and glanced up at him. His eyes were shut tight and he was panting, head leaning against his forearms. I ran my free hand across his chest and leaned up to place few open mouthed kisses there.  
“Okay, you can add another.” He whispered. I gently added a second finger and waited a little before slowly scissoring them, stretching his warmth open. I felt myself grow harder and had to bite my lip to keep from moaning. He shifted his hips a bit and nodded when I glanced up. I slid a third finger in and worked my fingers gently, easing him wide enough for me. I was panting with the effort to hold myself in check, to keep things slow and comfortable for him. It has exceedingly difficult however and I was growing impatient.  
“Easy Potter.” Draco teased. “I’m ready.” He breathed. I slowly slid my fingers out and helped him adjust so that the head of my cock brushed his entrance. I repeated the spell so my cock was slick and ready. I brushed it against his entrance before slowly sliding in. He blew out a breath as he eased back, and then was level with my face again. I rested my hands on his hips, and took a deep breath to keep from pounding into him. “Easy Harry, give me a bit longer. I am a lucky man indeed.” He said with a wink. I chuckled and shifted my hips to get comfortable. His eyes fluttered closed and he released a slow breath. I grinned and moved again. He moaned and dropped his head to the pillow next to mine. “Please.” He breathed. I wasted no time in snapping my hips up. His hands dug into my shoulders, and I flipped us over. He looked up startled as I pushed his legs up over my shoulders and propped myself up so I had room to move. His eyes widened as I began to thrust, slowly. I watched his face looking for his reaction when I found his sweet spot. I was not disappointed when I did. He gasped and arched back into the bed, hands fisting in the sheets. I grinned, and adjusted my angle so every thrust would brush his prostate. He moaned and I began to speed up my thrusts. He was so deliciously warm and tight.  
“OhHarryHarryyesHarrHarry” Draco babbled, hand clutching the sheets, head thrown back in ecstasy. I growled in response and started pounding into him in earnest. “HarryHarryHarryHarry!” He chanted like a prayer and I thought I’d come right then because of how dirty he made my name sound. “HARRY!” He screamed, his entire body clenching. I moaned at the sudden tightness as he came, his cock painting each of our chests. I thrust a few more times and came myself, pitching forward and breathing his name under my breath.  
Afterwards, we lay tangled in the sheets, Draco resting his head on my chest above my heart. His fingertips tracing the sunburst. “You know when I saw you in that oafs arms, sorry Hagrid’s arms.” He amended after I growled. I had my eyes closed and was absently running my hand up and down his back. “I felt like the world was ending, like my heart had dropped down through my shoes. I never imagined I’d be shagged into a state of total relaxation by that very same Savior.” He finished. I chuckled, brushing my hand into his hair.  
“Draco Malfoy, giant sap, who knew?” I teased, chuckled and playfully shoved me before snuggling closer.  
“That’s Mr. Draco Potter-Malfoy to you.” He replied around a yawn. I laughed and pulled the sheet over us.  
“I love you too.” 

*Five years later.* 

"Scorpius Hyperion Potter-Malfoy, Lilly Narcissa Potter-Malfoy get down here!" Harry bellowed up the stairs. I chuckled and checked my reflection to make sure my hair looked perfect still.  
"Those two I swear to Merlin. Now I have to climb the stairs and go get them and make sure they have their dress robes on. Next time you try to convince me adopting twins is a good idea I’m going to fight you." He muttered sighing before starting up the stairs.  
"Easy, love." I said, coming up behind him and wrapping my arms around his middle to stop him.  
"They are outside with their Aunt Hermione and Cousin Rose." I whispered. He huffed angrily.  
"You could have said something before I shouted up the stairs." I smiled.  
"That's not nearly as fun. Besides your dad voice is sexy.” I breathed in his ear. He shuddered. “Come on, it’s rude for the grooms to be late." I said pecking his cheek. He grumbled about how this vow renewal wasn’t even his idea.  
"Shhh, let Ron and Hermione have their moment, love. They are gonna take the twins tonight so I get you all to myself." I said squeezing his hand. He sighed and grabbed his cane to follow me.  
The cane and the knee were the only effects left from the ordeal that brought us together. When we first held the twins, Harry had suggested we name Scorpius Greg as he was the reason we got together. I had punched him in the arm and had to leave to calm down. He’d found me later and apologized and promised he loved me. He had been in counseling for a year and had worked through so much not just about Goyle but the war and his childhood. His knee acts up the worst when it rains or snows but he can still chase the kids and as long as he has some pain potion before the weather change, everything is fine. There are still nightmares and we fight because our personalities clash sometimes, but there is a lot of love and I am so lucky to have him and our two beautiful children. I was happy to let Hermione talk us in to having an actual wedding. Because I wanted it, the moment of declaring our love in front of everyone.  
So I pulled him in for a kiss and then grabbed his hand and stepped outside to the applause of the entire Weasley clan and all our friends, to marry the man I loved more than anything else… again.


End file.
